Transformers: The Ride - Summer 2013

[IOA Explorer]

I just wanted to thank a Team Leader as well as a worker escorting Curious George the other week. I was wearing my original Slime Time Live T-shirt from 2002 and the lady worker who was escorting Curious George noticed it. She pulled me aside and we talked about the old studios (She was maybe 40) anyway she was so kind enough to call her lead over and get us "backdoored" into Transformers and the Mummy! Anyway, if anybody knows her please tell her thank you!

 

[Shucker]

I had not seen the extended queue cover yet. Very nice touch! Thanks for the picts DH.

 

[hildyp0824]

I just wanted to thank a Team Leader as well as a worker escorting Curious George the other week. I was wearing my original Slime Time Live T-shirt from 2002 and the lady worker who was escorting Curious George noticed it. She pulled me aside and we talked about the old studios (She was maybe 40) anyway she was so kind enough to call her lead over and get us "backdoored" into Transformers and the Mummy! Anyway, if anybody knows her please tell her thank you!

Did you stop at Guest Services and let them know of the good customer service? I'm sure they appreciate hearing positive guest comments regarding employees

 

[UNIrd]

Not sure about this soft attendance business. Transformers, Despicable Me, FJ, Hulk, and Dudley are all over 100 minutes right now. Rockit is at 85 minutes and even Shrek has a 45-minute wait. SHREK.

 

[Milla4Prez66]

Not sure about this soft attendance business. Transformers, Despicable Me, FJ, Hulk, and Dudley are all over 100 minutes right now. Rockit is at 85 minutes and even Shrek has a 45-minute wait. SHREK.

I thought the same thing yesterday. I keep hearing about it being slow, but the wait times for everything was just crazy. Transformers was at 160 minutes when me and my friend walked by. I had heard from someone (can't confirm this) that the line for Transformers got so long at one point yesterday that they temporarily closed the line until they shortened it a bit.

 

[Mad Dog]

There's only been one or two posters that have said Uni has been slow. The vast majority on this site and other sites have repeatedly stated that Uni overall & Transformers has been quite busy. I understand that Florida weather was worse than the usual rainy season the past month, so perhaps those negative Uni crowd projections reflected some heavy all day rain days. With weather back to the normal 4 o'clock rainstorm, I'd bet that Uni is back on budgeted crowd projections.

 

[shiekra38]

There's only been one or two posters that have said Uni has been slow. The vast majority on this site and other sites have repeatedly stated that Uni overall & Transformers has been quite busy. I understand that Florida weather was worse than the usual rainy season the past month, so perhaps those negative Uni crowd projections reflected some heavy all day rain days. With weather back to the normal 4 o'clock rainstorm, I'd bet that Uni is back on budgeted crowd projections.

It's strange..now the rain has all but subsided...the rest of July and August should be crazy

 

[TylerDurden]

Blackouts have been lifted hence more crowds--Universal shouldnt have taken this measure in the first place IMO...now we will see normal summer crowds, the crowds we shouldve been seeing all summer

 

[Shadow Carelli]

Blackouts have been lifted hence more crowds--Universal shouldnt have taken this measure in the first place IMO...now we will see normal summer crowds, the crowds we shouldve been seeing all summer

Wait, seriously? People with a power pass can go to the studios for the rest of the month?

 

[TylerDurden]

I believe so, yes

EDIT: maybe I heard that Team Member comp ticket blackouts had bedn lifted...but regardless I would assume that both would fall under the same blackout 'priority'.

 

[Capacity]

I just wanted to thank a Team Leader as well as a worker escorting Curious George the other week. I was wearing my original Slime Time Live T-shirt from 2002 and the lady worker who was escorting Curious George noticed it. She pulled me aside and we talked about the old studios (She was maybe 40) anyway she was so kind enough to call her lead over and get us "backdoored" into Transformers and the Mummy! Anyway, if anybody knows her please tell her thank you!

Go to guest services next time! Those comments go to their managers and they get recognized even if you don't remember their name just describe them.

 

[King_K.]

Blackouts have been lifted hence more crowds--Universal shouldnt have taken this measure in the first place IMO...now we will see normal summer crowds, the crowds we shouldve been seeing all summer

Only TM blackouts have been lifted, not Powerpass. So unless TM's have a small nation of friends visiting everyday, these must be those strange mythical summer crowds that everyone on this website have been seeing. I mean, it's not like there's a new ride and new stuff or anything. :blank:

 

[Clive]

Only TM blackouts have been lifted, not Powerpass. So unless TM's have a small nation of friends visiting everyday, these must be those strange mythical summer crowds that everyone on this website have been seeing. I mean, it's not like there's a new ride and new stuff or anything. :blank:

Nope nope nope, Transformers is going to fail because it isn't crowded enough despite being a fairly high capacity attraction.

Geesh.

 

[quickfire609]

Nope nope nope, Transformers is going to fail because it isn't crowded enough despite being a fairly high capacity attraction.

Geesh.

Absolutely ridiculous. I know your parodying and all, but I can't believe I'm actually reading this. I think it's just Disney fans being upset that NFL was a massive failure in everything except BoG, and they want the park down the road to fail just as hard.

But it's not. Transformers might not be seeing Potter levels of crowds, but it never was meant to. By all business accounts Transformers was a success before it even opened it's doors. The entire purpose of the ride was to avoid a tax bill which would have been more than the cost of the ride itself, so just by building the ride, Universal has made a profit. Any attendance increase is just a bonus.

 

[TylerDurden]

Nope nope nope, Transformers is going to fail because it isn't crowded enough despite being a fairly high capacity attraction.

Geesh.

the word 'fail' was never used. Underwhelming was more like it. Up until the last few days, the extended queue never filled, the park had no need to black out any level of pass, and budget goals parkwide were not being met. That is a classic case of overhype. Of course, now that has all changed, so everything I predicted is moot, and it seems the precautions Universal took in anticipation of what one of their biggest summers ever actually do have merit now, even if it took a while to get there.

Also, capacity has nothing to do with it, when you look at a similar attraction right next door with higher wait times.

But no matter, Universal has finally started reaching its crowds. Better late than never. Just know that nobody claimed it had failed in any sense

 

[TylerDurden]

Absolutely ridiculous. I know your parodying and all, but I can't believe I'm actually reading this. I think it's just Disney fans being upset that NFL was a massive failure in everything except BoG, and they want the park down the road to fail just as hard.

But it's not. Transformers might not be seeing Potter levels of crowds, but it never was meant to. By all business accounts Transformers was a success before it even opened it's doors. The entire purpose of the ride was to avoid a tax bill which would have been more than the cost of the ride itself, so just by building the ride, Universal has made a profit. Any attendance increase is just a bonus.

Um...did you design the ride yourself? Theres no need to get so defensive...I never stated that anything would matter of fact underperform, just took information I have to apply it to a prediction to prompt discussion. I still think that the lackluster performance up to the last few days have been disappointing to Universal, and I happen to know a lot about budgets and spending and things like that, which have all been sub-par up to this point compared to last summer (despite the attraction).

I mean in the end, its a theme park ride...I dont think you need to get upset over it

 

[Mad Dog]

I've been continually seeing pictures on various sites showing Transformer's extended queue filled with guests since the attraction's debut, even through the rainy weather. Thus, I don't understand the validity of the remark that the extended queue was not being used till the last couple of days. Nothing personal Tyler, but perhaps you haven't been receiving credible info from your sources. Your remarks just don't jive with what nearly everyone else has been saying on various internet sites. As the other poster said, Transformers was never expected to achieve a Potter land opening crowd. But it sure seems to have invigorated a park that has construction walls everywhere, and I'm sure that's what was expected. Usually what I've been reading is that WDW had been slow till this week while Universal was experiencing good crowds all summer. Heck, Transformers was only open a few weeks when you were making your not meeting projected budget expectations comments. What kind of budget can be reflected during such a short unrepresentative time frame?

 

[Disneyhead]

Especially when they didn't even announce a Grand Opening date until 50 days prior to Grand Opening.

My sources have been telling me that Universal is darned pleased with the response to the attraction and Merchandise sales. They are more than thrilled with the not even "open" yet Springfield.

Tyler's point sounds more like what He was expecting, not what Universal had projected.

And it is ALWAYS better to be over prepared than face the PR nightmare of being under-prepared and ill equipped.

 

[UNIrd]

Plus, Universal playing their cards so close to their chest until the last minute might not have worked for them in this case. We didn't get an official opening date until what...a month before? And advertising didn't even begin until it was open. But more importantly than the news spreading is the word of mouth for this ride which is great.

 

[rhino4evr]

To call Transformers a "failure" is pretty crazy. The ride is well liked, and is constantly busy. The truth is Transformers is the 3rd clone of a ride. You aren't going to have the same level of crowds that attracted Potter folk, and the ride itself isn't even exclusive. I'd blame the economy, and the ridiculous ticket prices as indicators as to why either park (universal/disney) won't see HUGE spikes in attendance with new attractions. If people can't afford to go, they won't. Yet they continue to raise prices every year. Eventually there is a breaking point..and I believe they have reached it.

This is why I think Potter phase 2 will not do as well as the first potter opening. It will be difficult for Universal to capture that same excitement for another Potter land. Do you think the Potter fans that probably spent $1000's of dollars to be at the grand opening will be able to afford to again.

Just my opinion.